Little Gem

Little Gem is an Irish play by Elaine Murphy

The original text

A popular play about three generations of Dublin women who narrate several months of emotional turmoil that they have experienced. In each of the women’s experience the disconnection they feel is in part sparked by an absent male partner, but in the end they share the care of Gem, the one woman's baby boy, and are brought together by this action.

First produced by Guna Nua at Dublin’s 2008 Fringe Festival, September 9–13 in Project Cube, before transferring to The Loose End Studio at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght. The play won the Fishamble New Writing Award in 2008 and was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2009, where it was awarded the prestigious Carol Tambor Award.

Translations and adaptations

Hennie van Greunen translated the play into Afrikaans and adapted it to a South African setting , entitling it Janneman (an endearing diminutive for the Afrikaans name "Jan").

Performance history in South Africa

2011: Performed in Afrikaans as Janneman at the 2011 Woordfees, with Sandra Prinsloo, Franci Swanepoel and Hannah Borthwick, directed by Hennie van Greunen.

2012: Performed in Afrikaans as Janneman at the Artscape Arena in May

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Gem

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Murphy_(playwright)

https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/429/74940.html

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